


Because I love you, you idiot

by queenofseventeen



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Big Bang 2019, Gilmore Girls AU, M/M, i was horrible but at least it’s something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 11:44:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20834921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofseventeen/pseuds/queenofseventeen
Summary: Gilmore girls au in which Neil adopts Riko as a baby to give him a normal life in a small town.





	Because I love you, you idiot

**Author's Note:**

> If you don’t like the ship leave me and my fic alone

###  Day 0

Abram woke up from the incessant ringing from his phone. The sound was loud and shrill and he was surprised enough that it was on to answer without checking for the caller ID. It was stupid he knew but it was also the middle of the night.

“Hello.” His voice was muffled from his pillow.

“Abram,” Ichirou said. “I need your help.” 

Abram said up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. For Ichirou to call him there must be something wrong. Something fundamental. To two boys raised in crime syndicated that could only mean a couple of things. 

“What did you do?”

“Lana is giving birth,” Ichirou said. This still meant nothing to Abram and the silence prompted his friend to speak up. “Of my child. We’re not married. My dad will kill all three of us unless you step in.” 

The floor was cold under Abram’s toes. The phone on speaker. It crackled a bit and Abram could hear Lana screaming in the background.

“You want me to save you.” A fact.

“I want you to save my child. It is easier to claim the child your own and give him a better life if Lana and I are gone.” A request.

Abram stopped with his right leg half way in his jeans. “Just the kid?”

The phone stayed silent.

“I’ll take care of it.” There was a click as Ichirou ended the call. He had to be there for his girlfriend now. Now in the last hours before their end.

Abram’s feet carried him over the lush, green grass of the Moriyama manor front yard. Silent, ever present shadows lurked in the shadows but they knew who he was. They recognised the face of Nathaniel Hatford. They couldn’t hurt him without a retaliation from his uncle. Besides they knew he would never hurt his best friend. The only person he ever kissed because Ichirou wanted to help Abram to figure out his sexuality. The only person Abram wanted to kiss even when they figured out Ichirou didn’t like man like that.

The friendship never waned because of it. It was this love for his best friend that got Abram to sacrifice everything for Ichirou’s child. Sacrifice his own love for that of Ichirou’s.

Abram knew the inside of the manor like the back of his scarred hands. There weren’t any rips in the wallpaper and not a single curtain hung astray. No, not in Moriyama manor. The Japanese art of looking immaculate on the outside continued in the house also. It was why Ichirou’s pre marital indiscretion couldn’t be overseen. In just a couple of hours everyone would know of the death of Moriyama’s heirs. His empire would fall in the hands of his daughter when he died.

Abram knew the lord would not mourn his son. Ichirou would only be resented within the walls of the house.  _ Ichirou, first son, crumbling walls surround his ashes.  _

Abram heard the tiny baby wails. Good lungs. Abram would have to find a way to silence it. But it also meant he was late. He sped up his walk and went into the room where Lana was laying, the baby on top of her naked chest, still bloody. 

Ichirou noticed him in the doorway first. Abram didn’t congratulate them. They wouldn’t want it. His friend walked up to him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“I will honour your wishes alive as in death.” 

“Thank you,” Ichirou said again. “Go now, Abram.”

“I love you, Ichi, Lana.” 

Lana nodded and handed her baby over. Ichirou helped swaddle the baby against Abram’s chest and under his hoodie. It would have to do until Abram found a safe place to hide. 

Abram bowed lightly before exiting the room. The baby was already asleep against his chest. Still bloody. His hands felt bloody too and when he saw guards running past and two fast gunshots he knew he’d never be able to get rid of the sticky feeling of death. 

His heart felt sticky also. It cracked along the edges and stuck together with his mother’s words.  _ Stay safe. Stay safe. Stay safe.  _ Only this time the words didn’t count for him but for the only thing that remained of his best friend. 

###  2 weeks

Abram listened to the tiny wails in the cottage next to his bed. He knew he had to get up. Riko needed a change. He was probably also hungry but Abram didn’t have an ingrained fatherly sense. Neither did his uncle when he asked for help.

“I’ve only raised you since you were seven. You can figure this problem out on your own.”

Abram sighed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His fingers reached for the baby and ended up wet. He’d waited too long. Now he also had to change the bed. 

Getting Riko ready to get back in the bed was a mechanical process. He knew the steps. He knew what had to be done even if he didn’t always do it right. 

It still felt unreal. 

Riko closed his eyes before he even hit the covers. The sudden quiet left Abram’s ears ringing. He had been right. The kid had a great set of lungs. And the ringing wasn’t his imagination. It was the doorbell. 

Abram peeked past the curtain. His paranoia was a gift from his mother and a curse from his father. Always be alert. Even when exhausted to the dregs of your bones. It was uncle Stuart. No threat past him wanting to give the baby to the Lord. Neil couldn’t let him do that. He had promised Ichirou that he would keep Riko safe even when threatened with his own life. That included no mob life. It included a final favour from his uncle.

Abram opened the door. It creaked a little but there was no use fixing it when he was leaving the old house. Stuart took the cold in with him as he pranced towards the kitchen. His fingers clicked the button on the kettle to get it started.  _ Always be prepped for a good cup of tea. I don’t care you’ve been living in America. Hatford’s need tea.  _

“Are you sure about this, kid?”

“One hundred percent. The kid deserves better than Ichi had. That family is toxic.” 

Stuart nodded. He pulled a Manila envelope from his coat. “Everything you need is in there. I’ve had the girls put up offshore accounts and I’ve acquired a hotel under your name. It does fine so you only have to manage it a little when the old owner has the day off since he’s staying on as the real manager. 

“Such little faith in your favourite nephew.” Abram shook his head. He sliced the edges of the envelope open with a knife. Two passports came out with the necessary paperwork.

“There’s not so much competition when I only have nieces besides you. Riko is officially your son. Do with him as you please.” Stuart narrowed his eyes.

“I won’t be like my father. You know me better.”

“Just afraid that you won’t feed him anything but junk food.”

“It’s a baby!”

Stuart pulled open the empty fridge and turned around. “Babies are kids before you know it, kid. They become adults even sooner. Or at least think they are and then they will try to upend a hierarchy by stealing a baby.”

Neil sat in his chair. His head hit the table with a thud. Stuart’s hand felt heavy on his shoulder. “I know it was his last wish but take care of yourself. Riko won’t get to live without an alive guardian.”

Neil knew his uncle was right. He needed to take care of himself first. It just happened to be harder than he expected. Raising a child wasn’t the easiest task. Don’t even get him started on the price of diapers in today’s society. 

He took a deep breath and opened his passport. Starting next week he would be Neil Josten. Father of Riko Josten. Father of a crying, Japanese baby. A whole other species almost. 

But he would make it work. He would make it work for Riko.

###  3 months

Andrew Minyard wasn’t known for his hospitality -he was known for serving a mean cup of coffee- still he couldn’t resist pouring one, black, for the man in the corner booth. The stroller next to him had finally quieted down and he looked like he was close to falling asleep himself. 

The man shot up when the cup made a clattering sound against the table. The man jumped a bit. His eyes latched unto Andrew like he might be danger. Five years ago when Andrew was eighteen the man would’ve been right but he had long since stopped wearing his knives. The cafe was a safe space. For everyone, including himself and the man at the table. 

“I wasn’t sleeping,” the man said.

“I don’t like liars,” Andrew responded.

“That wasn’t a full lie. I was dozing. Riko’s just been sleeping exceptionally bad lately. He keeps crying and I don’t know what to do anymore.” 

“Does he have a stuffed animal?” 

“No.” 

Andrew scoffed. Some problems were easy to solve. “Babies want pacifiers and stuffed animals. I assume you got him vaccinated.”

“Of course, I’m not that stupid.” 

Andrew lifted an eyebrow.

“I mean it!”

“Walk by Renee Walker’s today. She’ll have everything you need in her store.”

“Thank you,-”

“Andrew.”

“Neil Josten and Riko.” Neils eyes softened when he looked at his son. Andrew knew that he wouldn’t have a chance with the pretty blue eyed man but still he kept hoping.

\--

Neil didn’t like the stroller. He kept kicking against the wheels and the bar was up too high to be comfortable and he didn’t get the door to Walker baby’s open with it in the way. If only Riko had been asleep he’d been cursing in seven different languages. Still he had made his uncle a couple of promises regarding junk food, sleep times, clothing, schools, and of course cursing. It’s not like he cursed a lot. In languages his uncle could understand.

Suddenly the door was pulled from his hands. The doorway was empty and Neil looked behind him.  _ “Andrew.” _

He took a breath and Andrew rolled his eyes. “Are you going to stand there all day because I can drop the door in your face?” 

Neil felt the blood rise up his cheeks. He turned from Andrew and pushed Riko into the daycare. There was a blonde lady sitting on top of the desk talking to a tall, dark, handsome man. As Ichirou would call him. 

But now wasn’t the time to think about Ichirou. There would never be an appropriate time to think about Ichirou. 

“Can we help you?” the man asked. He gently pushed the woman to the side to make room on the desk.

“I want to sign my son up,” Neil said. 

“Don’t you mean our?” The lady waved her hand. Neil’s face turned red but Andrew answered before he could splutter out an answer.

“It’s not my kid, Allison. Watch out before I switch you to decaf.”

The corners of Neil’s moved twitched. Andrew was being too kind. Almost intrusive but it didn’t seem like he had followed Neil there. 

That was proven when another woman, this one with rainbow tipped hair, waved at him from behind yet another door. Andrew didn’t wave back.

Neil wondered if he even had an expression other than stoic. He didn’t think so. Judging from Allison and the man, this was his normal behaviour also. Andrew reminded Neil of Ichirou after a meeting with the Lord. Empty, controlled. A storm on the inside behind the blankness of hazel eyes. 

The man behind the desk coughed. “Certain it’s not both your kid?”

“Yes,” Neil said. “His name is Riko Josten. I have all his information right here if you need it.”

The man looked down at the paper filled out with all the important information Neil could think off. Including nap times. It had just been three months. Riko needed to have regular nap times. 

“So, Neil, right? I’m Matt, I work here with Renee. Allison owns the dance studio and comes to annoy me and her girlfriend every once in a while when her boyfriend, Seth bans her from touching the piano in the studio. Renee owns the daycare.”

Neil looked up from Riko’s sleeping face. He looked so soft. He looked so much like his father. The same nose and eye color. He was beautiful. 

“Does everyone in this town have multiple partners? No judging.”

Matt’s laugh sounded like a rock slide. Neil had heard more unpleasant things. “It’s just them and the Wymack household. Wymack and Kayleigh are the biological parents of Kevin, born last week. But Wymack is also with Abby who is also with Bee.”

“Who’s Bee? I’ve met the others when I went to check up on my investment but I didn’t see anyone by that name.”

“Abby’s girlfriend.” Matt was grinning at his computer. His ears slowly turning pink. “Sorry, my wife send me a picture of the puppy we’re picking up this weekend.” 

Neil nodded but didn’t ask. He didn’t care. He just wanted to admit Riko and go. It was almost nap time and the baby never woke up well from the stroller. 

He sounded like a dad. A real dad. Not a substitute dad. Not your father’s best friend who stole you from a criminal empire. It scared him. Made his breath speed up and his mind race a million different ways. If it scared him so much, why did it feel so right.

###  6 months

Neil’s head hit the table with a thud. Riko was getting his first ‘solid’ foods but he didn’t seem to like the carrot and beans paste that Nicky had prepared.

Nicky. Andrew’s cousin. Andrew from the whisker cafe who knew his order by heart. Who had offered to babysit Riko if Neil would ever need it. Not that Neil went out past regular working times but it was kind. A kindness that had made his cousin squeal and run back into his kitchen to avoid Andrew. 

The door smacked against the wall. Wymack inhaled sharp enough to make Nicky jump and knock over a pan. Thankfully empty. “Please tell me that’s not how my life is going to be.”

Neil didn’t raise his head from the table. Not even when Riko not so gently tapped it with the dirty spoon. “Don’t nag at me until you’re doing it with three parents less.” 

Wymack laughed. He walked over to Nicky to taste the soup and stood there smacking his lips. 

At that moment Riko started wailing and Neil was ready to crawl under the table and die. He looked up when someone tapped the table next to his head. It was Andrew. His hair was unruly and wet and he looked annoyed like any other day. 

“Do you never get your kid to shut up?”

“Only when you’re around.” Neil smiled at him. “He’s getting his first dinner but he won’t eat it.”

“Did Nicky put spices in it.”

“I told him not too.” Not after all those days spend in the library and at Whisker’s trying to understand babies and knowing what they can and can not do. Ugh, he needed one of Andrew’s coffees. 

Andrew hummed. A chair scraped over the tiles making Riko cry even harder before it grew softer. Neil looked up and saw Andrew mimicking the movements Riko had to make. His mouth open and sometimes roaring like a car. Neil remembered when Matt had asked if Riko wasn’t their child. Right now it certainly seemed like Andrew was the real dad. Even when neither of them looked like Riko. 

“Staring,” Andrew mumbled. He scraped the last of the fruit out of the bowl and fed it to the baby. “I know how to feed a kid.”

“Apparently I don’t.” Heat rose to Neil’s cheeks. He hadn’t meant to say that. It sounded pity indusing. Like he wanted people to see him like the sad lonely dad. He wasn’t a sad lonely dad. 

And with his friend Andrew showing up to help he didn’t think he would have to be. 

###  Age 5

Normally Neil wasn’t able to get Riko out of bed. He may have only been 5 but he hated getting up already. The only thing he stood up for was Andrew. Which didn’t help Neil. Not at all. Certainly not since more and more people started asking about their non existent relationships. They had nothing. There was nothing going on. Andrew didn’t even consider himself Neil’s friend. Not really. Nicky had alluded to so much last week. 

Not that Neil was sad about that. He had more important things to think of. Like uncle Stuart’s persisting messages that he might need Neil’s help and Riko’s first day of school. A day he couldn’t miss. 

“Come on, Riko,” Neil said. He crouched next to the bed and ran a hand through Riko’s hair. It was thick and dark. Allison needed to cut it again. She had banned Neil from even trying. 

_ I’m not letting the kid be a mess. You’ve got to take care of him Neil.  _

She sounded like uncle Stuart. For the first four and a half year uncle Stuart had mainly been ignoring the two of them. Acting like they had never existed was better for their cover. So he had resorted to sending presents on birthdays and christmas only.

But for the last couple of months he had been texting Neil on and off asking after Riko and if the hotel was still standing. The update that Kengo was ill and that there wasn’t a real heir. They were almost desperate enough to start plucking the second branch. Uncle Stuart was almost ready to start raking in his favors. 

Riko stirred in his bed. “I don’ wanna, dad.” 

Neil sighed. “You gotta. I’m sorry but you gotta go to school.”

Riko rubbed his sleep swollen eyes. There was a bit of drool dripping from the right corner of his mouth. Neil thought it was adorable. Andrew had been grossed out the first time Riko had fallen asleep on his lap. A stark reminder that they shouldn’t keep him up past nine. 

“Can we at least eat breakfast at Andrew’s?” Riko’s bottom lip jutted out. It was a bad look for him. Neil knew he shouldn’t give in but he couldn’t let the kid sit like that. Not even with the still steaming pancakes on the table downstairs. 

“Of course. It’s your day.”

\-- 

Andrew’s cafe was busy. Much busier than at their usual time. Still there was a table open in their usual corner for the pair to sit down. Neil waved to Andrew behind the counter and waited till he had time to take their order. Only they didn’t need to order. Andrew came over with filled plates and extra maple syrup for Riko. 

Neil grinned and he swore Andrew’s ear turned pink but that might’ve been from the lady behind Neil who was showing half of her boobs to the whole store. Neil wanted to punch her. He didn’t. He had no reason to and if someone saw they’d take Riko away from him. Now that was truly a worst case scenario.

Riko smacked Neil’s hand with a spoon. The older yelped. “Riko! Why even-”

“You said it was my day. I want your attention. And Andrews.” Riko didn’t look away from Neil. A sign that he really wanted Andrew to come and sit with them.

Neil nodded to his kid and watched him climb off his chair and towards the counter. It wasn’t the first time Neil thought of Riko as his own kid but sometimes it still startled him. They didn’t have anything in common biologically but they were there own little family. Him, Riko, Andrew on most days too.

The scraping of a chair made him jump. “Late night?”

Andrew’s hazel eyes sparked in the early morning light and Neil wanted to look at them some more but he remembered that his son was sitting right there. This was no time to let Andrew confuse him some more. The last time he felt anything like this Ichirou was still alive.

Ichirou.

Ichirou.

Ichirou.

Neil looked across the table and saw a miniature version of Ichirou.

Tears gathered behind his eyes. Five years. Five entire years without his best friends. Without his family. He missed them. But looking into Riko’s shining eyes made it all a little bit better. 

And Andrew’s hand on his knee did too. 

\--

Andrew had offered to come with Neil to pick Riko up. Neil had declined on the basic fact that Neil was Riko’s dad. He was a single dad. A single dad who didn’t have any feelings for a certain person at all. No sir. Not at all. 

That didn’t mean that they skipped afternoon tea at Andrew’s. Neil was weak, okay? And Andrew was the only one with good tea in this god forsaken town. 

Riko was still jabbering on about Kevin and how he had started playing Exy already even though he was much younger than Riko. Neil wanted to say no. He should say no. Uncle Stuart would tell him to. So he did.

“You can’t play exy until you’re older.”

“But Kevin is already playing! His mom bought him gear and is teaching him how to catch the ball.”

“No.”

Cups clinked on the bar as Neil lifted Riko onto a chair. 

“What no?” Andrew asked.

“He wants to play exy.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “You love exy.” 

I also loved Riko’s dad. “He won’t play exy.” 

“And if it’s a birthday present from me?” 

Neil squinted his eyes. Oh no he wouldn’t. “You already gave him free breakfast and cake.”

“I can give whatever I want.”

“I’m his dad I may refuse.” 

“You won’t.”

Neil wanted to say something biting when tiny hands gripped his arm. “Please, daddy?”

He let his head drop to the counter. “Sure. I’ll pick up gear tomorrow. Andrew is paying for the medical bills this will rake up.”

He heard the high five Riko gave Andrew. And his happy high voice and the way they started to convolute more bad plans. But Neil couldn’t get mad at them.

It felt like a family. A home. Riko deserved all of that. Neil wouldn’t mess up his normal childhood. Not like theirs had been robbed.

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have 2/3 more parts to be uploaded somewhere this week, hopefully. Don’t keep me accounted.


End file.
